MASTERCLASS WEEK
OCTOBER 17-20
ANTWERP, BELGIUM
Vinyasa Krama - The Art of Slowing Down
Monday October 17, 19h-21h
The traditional movement and sequence methodology of Vinyasa Krama honours the breath as our ultimate teacher and source of wisdom. The teachings as passed down by the father of modern yoga, Sri T. Krishnamacharya remind us that this ancient tradition is one of slowing down, quieting the mind and cultivating the art of concentration.
As the speed of global culture quickens, the momentum of contemporary society can overwhelm and influence all aspects of our lives, including the way in which we engage on the mat. Driven by the unrelenting tyranny of time to accomplish more and get to the next moment, our grounding yoga practice can instead fragment the mind through rapid momentum induced transitions, negating our ability to coalesce mind and body through the harness of the breath.
Through the application of mindful breath coordinated movements, powerfully deliberate transitions (vinyasas) and intelligent sequencing (krama), VinyasaKrama, the art of slowing down, offers refuge from the quickening pace of life, integrating the mind and body into unparalleled states of transformative union.
This masterclass will explore the history, methodology and practice of VinyasaKrama and is suitable for all levels of practitioners.
The Space Between - YinYoga & Buddhist Mindfulness
Tuesday October 18, 19h-21h
A wiseman once said: “Between stimulus and reaction there is a space. Within that space lies our power to choose our response. And within our response lies our growth and our freedom.” Invariably, however, this space is rendered imperceptible by the mind’s past conditioning. The result is that much of our human life can be lived beyond the ultimate reality of the present moment and instead, within a pseudo-reality dictated by habitual patterning and reactivity, leaving us feeling incarcerated within, and at the dictates of, our own minds.
This masterclass integrates the wisdom of the Buddha’s teachings and mindfulness methodology with the passive approach of Yin Yoga. The extended stays within the postures of the Yin practice provide a fertile opportunity to apply the transformative mind-training methods of the Buddha, enabling the mind to observe its own conditioned nature and in turn awakening the mind through the cultivation of insight (vipassana).
These transformative insights into the mind’s conditioned limitations initiates a systematic letting go, gifting ourselves and our minds the opportunity to choose a conscious and wise response in every given situation.
This masterclass will include a Dhamma talk on Buddhist philosophy, including topics such as dukkha (unsatisfactoriness/suffering), the cause of this dukkha, and how the practice of mindfulness meditation gives rise to insights (vipassana)that free the mind and heart from suffering.
This offering is suitable for all levels of practitioners.
Asana Masters - Balance, Breath & Biomechanics
Wednesday October 19, 19h-21h
The development of prowess in our posture practice is available to each of us every time we step onto the mat, regardless of experience.
In a world obsessed with body image and a contemporary yoga culture that worships the external image of the asana, accomplishment in asana (asana siddhi) has very little to do with what the posture looks like on the outside.
Traditionally, proficiency or mastery of asana (asana siddhi) is not determined by the degree of flexibility, strength displayed or physical depth reached within the posture. Rather, mastery of asana is resolutely about the balance of effort and the disposition of the breath and nervous system within.
Combining the wisdom of Patañjali’s Yoga-Sūtras, traditional perspectives of the practice and Western anatomical and bio-mechanical principles we will experientially learn how all of us can develop asana siddhi and become asana masters.
Cultivating the Heart - Loving-Kindness (mettā) Meditation
Thursday October 20, 19h-21h
The path of Buddhist meditation is considered a science of the heart. It is a systematic methodology guiding us into the deepest recesses of our embodied existence for the purpose of uprooting the limitations of our conditioning, re-awakening our hearts to the interconnectedness of life, leading to the eradication of suffering.
A noble and courageous path, the training of the heart-mind can be an arduous journey that requires us to move towards, as opposed to away, from that which feels unpleasant and at times painful. The Buddha thus provides us with the practice of mettā to support the opening and expansion of the heart in the face of these inevitable challenges that arise upon the path.
In this masterclass we will experientially cultivate, through loving-kindness meditation, the mental fortitude and resilience of the heart necessary for the journey of human life upon the Buddha’s path towards spiritual liberation.
This masterclass is geared towards everyone. Regardless of meditative experience, spiritual or religious disposition, these teachings and practices are applicable to all beings born into the realm of embodied existence.
TO JOIN THESE OFFERINGS PLEASE VISIT:
https://www.antwerpyoga.be/workshops/whit-hornsberger-masterclasses